How Do I Produce a Track?

I know the topic may sound very basic/rudimentary but...how do I do it? My friend and I are interested in collaborating. He has some live instruments, and I'm going to invest in a sampler (most likely SP-404), so I can sample original shit he plays, then make it into a beat.

My question is...how does the sampler work? Do I just let it run from the sampler, record it, then just loop it until I see fit or what? I've watched tutorials on making samples/slicing drum breaks and shit. I know I can read the manual/watch tutorials and I've done that, but I how do I make a full track?

Yea homie get a DAW to actually record your recordings out of the 404. I have a 303 and export my record my beats into Logic to mix it. I did this track using the SP 303 x Logic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e53yFcwb48c&feature=share&list=UUfu4lUBjLivmf-Aqz7DzBTw

Fresh beat man, though I have a question. When I'm looping my sample, I'm having toruble eliminating the "gap" between the end of the first "sample", and the beginning of the second. Any advice? I don't want to slice it too short, because then it ends too abruptly. Too long, and it isn't on tempo/time, if that makes any sense....Another question, what's a DAW? I no nothing of audio engineering/recording. I love dope beats but I'm all about the lyrics.

daw: digital audio workstation. examples include: REASON (my personal fav and probably the most user friendly for beginners, not to say it's for beginners because it's pretty much infinitely deep) ABLETON LIVE, PRO TOOLS, FROOTY LOOPS (which sux fat ballllzzz), REAPER, CUBASE, LOGIC, ACID, RENOISE... blah blah blah blah it's pretty much just a program that either features in-box, or hosts virtual instruments and effects to be utilized by a MIDI keyboard or drum pad set up. those million dollar studios you used to see in the seventies and shit??? that shit is pretty much all in a box that costs 400 to 600 bucks these days. you want record vox you probs need mic and a usb audio interface (think of it as a faster, better sound card for your pc that happens to be external....and feature a few input holes). so that's all the shit you're gonna need. a MIDI controller (at least one, i would recomend a piano-style keyboard, but lots of cats are in love with the look of a mpc so they start with drums pads....down the line you can pick up mulitple) an external soundcard/audio interface device thingy, a DAW, and i guess i would say a turntable to sample from but shit i sample cassettes sometimes nah mean some mp3 192 kbits typa shit some whack shit sometimes nah mean sample whatever the fuck i got a field recorder i be sampling farts and shit it's all good homie. So let me reiterate what you'll NEED to get started. 1. DAW software 2. A MIDI controller 3. An audio interface. turntables, shit like that's up to you hope i helped fool!

Yea homie get a DAW to actually record your recordings out of the 404. I have a 303 and export my record my beats into Logic to mix it. I did this track using the SP 303 x Logic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e53yFcwb48c&feature=share&list=UUfu4lUBjLivmf-Aqz7DzBTw

So let me reiterate what you'll NEED to get started. 1. DAW software 2. A MIDI controller 3. An audio interface. turntables, shit like that's up to you hope i helped fool!

Word up...my friend who I'm collaborating with has Logic and shit, so perhaps we'll learn how to use that. He's looking to get a MIDI keyboard and such so we'll have more shit to work with...I mean fuck I'm a broke college graduate, just want to make some tunes. I have an old turntable that I can get repaired, thanks for all the help.